1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sighting mechanisms for use in conjunction with archery bows and other subsonic weapons (such as paintball guns and the like). The present invention relates more specifically to bow sights that use illuminated spots to facilitate the aiming of an archery bow at targets over a variety of distances.
2. Background of the Invention
A number of devices have been developed to facilitate the aiming of an archery bow at a target positioned over a range of distances from the archer. The nature of archery is such that relatively small variations in distance to a target require relatively significant variations in the angle at which the archer holds the bow and aims towards the target. Whereas a distance difference of one hundred yards may merit little change in the aiming angle for a rifle, such distance variations in archery required a much more significant change in the aiming angle. Sighting devices designed for rifles do not translate well into sights suitable for bows.
Many sighting devices for archery have been developed in recent years that utilize light image aiming spots that are positioned within the archer's field of view. In general, such sights either provide a direct view of one end of a fiber optic light guide or provide a reflected image of an LED or other light source. The view produced in either case is typically positioned within a ring that forms the bow sight through which the archer aims. Fiber optic light wave guides are typically positioned within the field of view and extend to one side where they are arranged so as to either gather light from ambient sources or to connect to a small electrically powered light source such as an LED. Such designs provide the ability to individually adjust the position of each of the spots thus created within the bow sight.
Other efforts in the past have focused on providing electrical light sources either directly in the bow sight (in place of the fiber optic light wave guides) or positioning electrical light sources in such a manner that a reflection of the light source is directed towards the archer through the bow sight. What has not been achieved in the prior art is a bow sight that combines the advantages of a fiber optic based system utilizing ambient light with the advantages of a reflective bow sight system that eliminates the need to directly position light sources or light guides within the field of view. The present invention provides such a solution to the problem of an efficient, adjustable, and inexpensive bow sight.
Other efforts in the past have included the following patents and patent applications:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,805 issued to Stawarz on Feb. 25, 1992 entitled Bow Sight with Projected Reticule Aiming Spot.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,278 issued to Kay on Jan. 24, 1995 entitled Wide Field of View Reflex Sight for a Bow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,034 issued to Bindon on Aug. 5, 1997 entitled Reflex Sighting Device for Day and Night Sighting.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,765 issued to Sherman on Aug. 3, 1993 entitled Illuminated Sight Having a Light Collector Serving a Fiber Optic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,615 issued to Hoppe et al. on Mar. 7, 1995 entitled Light Archery Sight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,278 issued to London on Jun. 3, 1997 entitled Bow Sight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,159 issued to Kay et al. on Sep. 29, 1998 entitled Wide Field of View Reflex Gunsight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,775 issued to Hargrove et al. on Jun. 22, 1999 entitled Triangulation Rangefinder and Sight Positioning System.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,854 issued to Afshari on Apr. 27, 2004 entitled Illuminated Sight Pin.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0254065 A1 (Grace) published on Nov. 16, 2006 entitled Archery Bow Sight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,801 issued to Slates on Apr. 15, 1997 entitled Fiber Optic Pin Sight for a Bow.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0150429 A1 (Khoshnood) published on Jul. 13, 2006 entitled Ambient Light Collecting Sight Pin for a Bow Sight.
The full disclosures of each of the issued U.S. patents and the Published Applications listed above are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference.